E259 series
The E259 series, branded N'EX, is a Japanese Limited Express electric multiple unit. Built from 2009 to 2010 for JR East, the E259 series sets are mainly used on the Narita Express airport rail link service. History Branded N'EX, the E259 series sets were introduced to cope with the expected increase in ridership on the Narita Express services with the introduction of a new runway at the Narita Airport, in addition to replacing the 253 series sets on the Narita Express services. The E259 series sets were also designed to compete with the Keisei AE series sets which were designed for a similar purpose. The first sets, Ne001 and Ne002, were delivered in April 2009; the sets began operation on 1 October 2009, slightly earlier than scheduled, with more sets delivered over the coming months and sequentially put into service. All twenty-two six-car sets are in service and are based at Kamakura Depot. As mentioned earlier in the article, the E259 series sets are almost exclusively used on the Narita Express airport rail link service, and were designed as such for said purpose; there are no known occurrences of E259 series sets being used on standard Limited Express services. Set Ne002 is also used on seasonal Marine Express Odoriko services. Design The E259 series uses a slightly streamlined design with a "polar white" body with "horizontal carmine" (red), "stratosphere gray" and "cosmic black" accents. The "polar white" body is supposed to evoke the color of the arctic, the "horizontal carmine" accents are supposed to evoke the color of the horizon when the sun rises, the "stratosphere gray" accents are supposed to evoke the color of the stratosphere and the "cosmic black" accents are supposed to evoke the color of the universe. The N'EX logo and an airplane can be seen splashed on the cab cars. The end cars have gangways, which allows two six-car sets to couple together for twelve-car formations. The sets were designed by famed industrial designer Kenji Ekuan. Set Ne002 is slightly special in that it is used for Marine Express Odoriko seasonal services; a small Marine Express Odoriko logo can be found below the large airplane seen splashed on the front. Only set Ne002 has this sticker; this sticker cannot be found on any other set. Due to this, the set is sometimes nicknamed M'EX, short for 'M'arine 'Ex'press Odoriko. Specifications Construction is of steel. End cars are 21 meters long while intermediate cars are 20.5 meters long. The train's traction system consists of two-level insulated gate bipolar transistor variable frequency drives manufactured by Hitachi which make a loud hissing sound as the train accelerates from idle. The headlamps of the E259 series sets are a combination of a high-intensity discharge and shield beam headlamp setup, while the taillamps are LED fixtures. The E259 series is equipped with a later version of a musical horn that is standard on most of JR East's Limited Express fleet. The musical horn is usually blasted when a set is about to depart. References *Wikipedia.org Category:Electric Trainsets Category:JR Group trains Category:Kinki Sharyo locomotives Category:Tokyu Car locomotives